Mavericks surf contest remains on hold

1of20Peter Mel catches a wave as Colin Dwyer, left, watches during the second heat of the first round of the Mavericks Invitational big wave surf contest Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Mel is the defending champion of the event.Photo: Eric Risberg, ASSOCIATED PRESS

2of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

3of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

4of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

5of20Waves were picking up on the shore inland from the Mavericks surf break in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 18, 2018.Photo: Brian Fuelner

6of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

7of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

8of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

9of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

10of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

11of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

12of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

13of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

14of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

15of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

16of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

17of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

18of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

19of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

20of20Monster swell at big-wave surf spot Mavericks south of Half Moon Bay, Calif., drew hordes of surfers on the morning of Nov. 28, 2018. Liam McNally, the gear editor at the Outbound Collective, was there to catch the action.Photo: Liam McNally

Huge surf is expected to hit the Northern California coast this week. Officials of the World Surf League have ruled out Monday and Tuesday for the Mavericks surf contest near Half Moon Bay, but there’s a fair chance it will be held later in the week.

Surfline forecaster Kevin Wallis said Monday’s swell is expected to be larger than the one during the 2010 contest, a fearsome day with faces up to 50 feet. “But it’s going to be super tough to paddle, and everyone is concerned it would be more of a survival contest than anything else,” Wallis said. “We’re also concerned about possible leftover from the south winds (not favorable for Mavericks) we’ll have all day Sunday.”

Said Big Wave Tour mainstay Jamie Mitchell, “If Monday gave us groomed conditions, then for sure we’d want to do it. Ultimately, we want to see a contest that’s run with lots of waves being ridden. And we’ll be looking at Thursday as a possible run day.”

Although there will be no contest on Monday, the views should be a treat for anyone driving along the coast. This is projected to be one of the largest swells to hit Northern California in recent years.

Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has been a sports columnist since 1989. He has covered 27 World Series, 19 Wimbledons and many other major events, including the Super Bowl, World Cup soccer, NBA Finals, four major golf tournaments and U.S. Open tennis championships.

He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies in 1971.